The Stress-Free Mindset — Be Quick but Don’t Hurry

Why a diligently planned day reduces stress and makes you more productive

Stop rushing. Stop. Please, it’s not going to help you. If you’ve procrastinated, trying to make up for lost time and expecting a masterpiece in only a few hours won’t cut it. Not only is it likely that the results won’t be there, you’ll cause yourself stress by going full-fledged “rush job” on yourself. And we all know, stress is a killer.

Many of us are living with stress, anxiety, fear and insecurity about what will come next in our lives. Some of us get so used to it, we may not even realize it. So we start to worry. And when we worry, we either do not commit to action, or we begin to internalize stress, which manifests itself in anxiety. When we do make a move, it’s rushed and feels forced. It feels like we’re not really ourselves. We hurry.

We lose.

The maxim that I use in the second part of my title comes from the legendary head basketball coach of UCLA, John Wooden. It’s so important that we master the processes and routine that we perform every day. It’s critical for us to become great planners! Once we do, we become more efficient. We get quicker. Then, we don’t need to hurry.